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GOP groups plan record $1 billion blitz

The $1 billion in outside money is in addition to the traditional party apparatus. | AP Photo

—The pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, is likely to raise $50 million to $100 million for the general election. “They saw that the spending worked before, and with the race this competitive, it will be even easier for them to raise money now,” said a source close to the group.

Charlie Spies, co-founder and counsel of Restore Our Future, said: “While there are multiple other groups doing important work to assist Republicans up and down the ticket, ROF is the only group dedicated solely to electing Mitt Romney, and targeting every dollar that we raise towards supporting him. ROF will spend our resources fighting back against the Obama team’s distortions and smears.”

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—FreedomWorks, the Dick Armey-led tea party outfit that has backed challengers in GOP congressional primaries, is expected to spend $30 million or more on issue advocacy, campaign ads and organizing — between its super PAC and 501(c)4.

—The Republican Jewish Coalition, a 501(c)4 group that works closely with the Crossroads outfits and the American Action Network, plans to spend more than $6 million on “the largest, most expensive, most sophisticated outreach effort ever undertaken in the Jewish community,” according to a source familiar with its plans.

—Club for Growth plans spending in congressional races but does not reveal totals.

It’s important to step back for a moment to understand the currents racing through the money chase right now. Republicans, back in the era of soft money, dominated fundraising, thanks in large part to big business donors. But when soft money was outlawed in 2002, a lot of business donors got uneasy about feeding their money through outside groups. Many sat out. At the same time, liberals got into the business of using tax-exempt and other groups to build their own web of think tanks, media monitors, vote-trackers and advocacy groups to influence politics. Rich liberals such as George Soros and union leaders funded much of it.

By the time 2008 rolled around, Obama and the Democrats were rolling over Republicans in the race for campaign cash raised in limited chunks, and Obama largely discouraged big-money outside efforts. Things have changed rapidly – and, in some respects, radically — since then.

First, Citizens United made it easy and less risky for rich donors to get back in the game. Second, a subsequent lower court case paved the way for the creation of super PACs, giving mega-donors arguably the most effective vehicle for funding ads in the modern campaign finance era. Third and perhaps most important, Obama scared many free-market millionaires into action with what they perceive as his outright hostility to capitalism.

Readers' Comments (1481)

We know that in the runup to November the Obama campaign will get dirtier and more toxic with money flowing in from Soros and other shadowy sources, so it's only appropriate that those who want to preserve America for our children pull out all of the stops. Thankfully we have patriots who have the means necessary to fight the battle ahead.

“The intensity on the right is white-hot,” said Steven Law. That intensity displayed itself when there where more Republicans voting for an unopposed Scott Walker than the total Democrat votes. Obama is going down hard in the fall election.

Super PACs secrecy and the fact that you can give huge undisclosed sums of money under riduculous names is very bad for America.

John Kerry was a Vietnam vet who got awarded several purple heart for bravery. But you would not know it as Karl Rove attacked the most precious part of one's character we always thought was out of bounds.

"Third and perhaps most important, Obama scared many free-market millionaires into action with what they perceive as his outright hostility to capitalism."

This quote of Mr. Allen is laughable. No "free-market millionaires" are afraid President Obama, himself a free-market millionaire, is hostile to capitalism. And why should they be afraid? They have made out like bandits under Obama's rule. Corporate America has also made record profits under President Obama.

No, the most important reason so much money our politically corrupted Supreme Court has allowed into our elections is pouring into Republican coffers to defeat Democrats and President Obama is the one percent prefer a plutocratic America to a democratic America. Their thinking is captured in the insider Republican "joke" that circulated after our corrupt Supreme Court performed a bloodless coup by planting Bush/Cheney in the White House, although they lost the democratic vote: It's about time those who own the country ran it.

Never before have Republicans been so bold and obvious in their aim to complete the massive redistribution of national wealth to the richest and most powerful individuals and corporations. Romney is the perfect embodiment of the greedy, ruthless rich that want Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security removed from the 99%, so that Americans are poorer and less secure than ever and our best democratic institutions are weaker or eliminated once and for all. It will be a ruthless Romney-led era of the one percent, by the one percent and for the one percent.

No news here. Conservative scumbags are prepared to spend money to protect their corrupt self interest, not to mention lie, cheat, steal and inflict voter suppression in an attempt to win an election. The problem is no matter what they spend Mittens ceiling is 47%.

Republicans can thank Citizens United for keeping them in the game. In 2008 McCain was out-gunned 2-1 in money raised by Obama. One activist court decision later and they're insured that'll never happen again.